The Element of Surprise
by shandromand
Summary: One shot for the /r/RWBY Writing Prompt Wednesday free-for-all


Corvo Attano crept across the shadowed parts of the upper gallery. He only half-listened to the conversation between Qrow, the students, and the man they were addressing on the balcony. Before they had set out, Qrow and Oscar (or was it Ozpin? It was difficult to tell who was speaking) had expressed suspicion for Professor Leo Lionheart's motives. It was a concern they had shared with him privately.

Nothing in this world made sense, and he still wasn't certain how Delilah had sent him here. That had been months ago, and it was anyone's guess about what was happening back in Dunwall. What had become of Emily? Was she still trapped in stone? He shook his head minutely, focusing on the task at hand. Ozpin had promised to help him find answers later.

"Mom?" one of the girls asked. He froze when a gun blast showered wood fragments across the carpet several dozen feet in front of him, and he cursed quietly to himself. A blackbird flew down behind the headmaster, and the air around it warped briefly. A woman in red garb and a garish white mask settled onto the floor beside him.

Corvo switched to the Dark Vision and scanned the nearby vicinty. If he hadn't just gotten lucky, the bird woman - Raven - would have seen him and spoiled any opportunity for surprise.

No one else was lurking that he could See, and he frowned at the broken balcony railing as he drew near. That would be a problem, or rather it would have been had he not regained his powers from The Outsider. There was a thick column at the corner of the balustrade that should provide him with cover. He stretched out his hand and cast the shadow, and a moment later he closed his fist and blinked over to it.

Corvo paused for a moment as he listened to the exchange. Ruby was so unlike any teenager he'd ever encountered. The Empire was a harsh place, and she would have been considered naive at best. Not that he didn't respect the girl: The little bit of the story he'd gotten from Qrow when the man hired him for this job had suggested that whatever they were up against, the odds were long. She was a little less than half Emily's age, and probably just as skilled. He wouldn't quite call her formidable, but as her Uncle had said, she wasn't exactly a pushover. But that desire to bring people together wore on his nerves. It was what he might expect from a young woman - admirable, even - but woefully out of step with how the real world worked most of the time.

So, it wasn't terribly surprising when Raven rebuked Ruby's hopeful offer with some kind of fireball. It knocked her down, but she shook it off with the help of her sister. He evaluated targets and only gave nominal attention to the conversation. The newcomers that had stepped out of nowhere and began taunting the teenagers. He'd been given names and descriptions, so the woman doing most of the talking had to be Cinder. The others he wasn't entirely sure of, and it didn't really matter to him. They were the opposition, to be dealt with at any cost.

He shifted into shadow form and slithered over the rail directly behind Lionheart, and he crept to the bottom of the short stairwell. The man had a tail of some kind, and a bracer on his wrist. His attention was focused on Qrow, who accused the professor of allowing their nemesis to kill fellow Huntsmen. His blood boiled when the fool didn't even try to deny it.

Corvo was sick to death of this sort of thing; he'd seen more than his fair share of it back home. Some things, it seemed, never changed - no matter how far from home you wound up. Listening to them talk was worthless: These people were here to fight, and he would not only oblige, but strike first. "Ah, don't beat yourself up about it, Lionheart. I'm sure Tyri-"

He Blinked up behind Lionheart and spoke one word loud enough for all to hear. _"Traitor."_ Lionheart jerked to the right and whirled with a terrified yell. Corvo Seized Time and unfolded his blade, and then he took the man through the neck. Everyone below spun to look up at the sound in slow motion; there were looks of shock, and a couple of the girls were lifting their hands in sudden horror. He had a moment's hesitation - Qrow had been... non-specific as to the level of force they had planned to use. The moment, however, passed: He was committed to this course of action, and betrayers only deserved one fate.

Before the corpse could even hit the ground, he lifted it up onto his shoulder and heaved it at Cinder. The woman had been gloating, and he took her for the sort who really enjoyed twisting the knife once she got it in. While the body was in mid-air, he reached out and Possessed it. As he sailed toward the still-shocked woman, he shifted to the gray-haired boy and turned him to face the young woman that stood beside him. He took a step and exited the stumbling boy, and gave him a shove for good measure. As he felt the bonds of Time begin to strain, he spun and leveled his pistol at Raven and fired a round. Then for good measure, he sent a pair of crossbow bolts - one in her direction and the other aimed at the girl standing beside her.

As Time spun back up, he Blinked to the back of the group of teens, facing the outer doors - and the largest man he'd ever encountered since coming to this strange land. Whoever he was, he was still in shock, so Corvo spared a glance over his shoulder.

Confused cries rose up from everyone as several things happened all at once. Cinder grunted as Lionheart's body tumbled into her, which knocked her to the ground. The gray-haired boy stumbled into the dark-skinned girl and they both lost their balance. Raven barely had time to do anything but shout as a bullet struck her in the abdomen. She blocked the crossbow bolt with a blurring strike, but her companion was not so lucky as the point struck home just beneath her collar bone. She howled and dropped to the ground in agony.

The final touch took a bit longer than he'd hoped, but it was enough time for the two younger people to right themselves. As soon as they did, the girl started to move in Cinder's direction. Emerald was her name, right? She and the boy's backs both arched as the stun mine he'd planted on the boy went off. They screamed briefly, and then fell to the floor in piles of twitching muscles.

He grinned behind his mask and took his last Addermire Solution. Qrow was the first to recover, and there was an oscillating hum of energy as he spoke. "Holy shit, Corvo. You don't fuck around, do you?" His tone didn't seem to hold any disapproval for the assassination, but there _was_ an edge to it.

He shrugged and turned back to face the burly man. "It's what you pay me for." Lionheart got what he deserved, and his conscience was clear. If any of the kids took issue with it, they said nothing. He did hear a low, throaty chuckle from Nora's direction, and he suppressed a shudder. That girl was _not_ right in the head.

There was a growl from Cinder, accompanied by a brief struggle as she shoved the body off and pushed to her feet. Another glance showed her seething with fury, and it looked like her right eye was actually burning. Blood spattered her face, hair, and clothing. " _Who_ are you? How did you do that?"

He paused to consider her questions, and formed the only response she truly deserved. "Fuck you, that's how."


End file.
